Happy New Year! Intentions not resolutions or outcomes

What a way to start the new year here at Aqua Sensory! We kicked off our new year with a weekend of education. Teaming up with Sophia Michalopoulou of #waterhappy on Saturday 5 January, then our Aqua Sensory Foundation Workshop on Sunday.

We wanted to share a few new year and post-workshop thoughts with you. Aqua Sensory is a new way of approaching your swim classes; a new mindset, ready for the new year.

At Aqua Sensory we set intentions – not outcomes

The new year often brings many new year resolutions. Is there a natural pressure to set new goals, make our dreams come true on as a society?

Reflecting on this, do we as adults follow on with this mindset sometimes, unwittingly projecting this onto our children? This competitive spirit sometimes means we; push, pull, compare and rush around at full speed?

That is why during our workshops we give examples of ‘intention setting’, ‘slowing down’ and going at the child’s tempo’ and not the adults’. At Aqua Sensory, we place more emphasis on intentions and feelings than on the traditional swim outcomes.

What intentions and new awareness would you like to bring to your classes?Have you ever thought about setting an intention for the set of classes for that day/week or term? Your intention does not have to be a long one, just one simple word. I would start with asking yourself the question: what feeling do I want to create in my class today?

Perfect swim intentions:

Calm – perfect after the busy festive season

Connection – so all your classes feel as one

Still –the water can rest and feel still, perfect for floating

Love – to facilitate moments of love and joy between parents/carers

For the intention to be intensified, take a moment to really feel this intention yourself as a teacher.

This intention setting followed on from the #waterhappy theme the previous day, where we were all treated to a special little bottle of water. With our water we set a deep intention, we allowed the water to resonate with this hidden message. The exercise reminded us to be aware of how many messages the water holds during and after our classes.

Working with the #waterhappy approach at Aqua Sensory, it gives us a deep appreciation of why water is such a special element.

The Water Happy workshop gave us the chance as teachers to reflect on what we bring to the water and the messages we transmit. It was the perfect setting for Aqua Sensory workshop to follow the next day. We would like to thank Sophia for her time and expertise and look forward to more collaborations.

Our next Water Happy and Aqua Sensory workshops are Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 April.